The Hanstrapp's Christmas
by StoriesForTheMature
Summary: Upon saving a child from a monster, Hermione gets attacked and is later rescued by Draco Malfoy. She is then invited to stay at the Manor for the holiday where she learns the real truth about Draco. (AU; does not follow the original series, SEMI-HORROR)
1. Invitation Accepted

_**AN: Merry Christmas!**_

 _ **Figured I'd write a Christmas themed Dramione. I'm working on the last chapter now, but I'll update with another chapter tomorrow, and another on the 23rd. I think there's going to be a total of five. :)**_

 _ **ENJOY!**_

* * *

Hogwarts was on lockdown. Every teacher was scouring the premises for a lost boy who had been reckless enough to wander off by himself; all because of a ridiculous dare.

' _Foolish child!'_ Potions Professor Hermione Granger thought as she marched out into the woods calling out his name.

This had been her first year as a professor, and she was starting to regret her choice of career. This year, a rumour had started claiming that Slytherin was a house full of ninnies, and since that had spread, it appeared that every last student from Slytherin had to prove that wrong.

Hermione could not count how many times she had to help a student out of one horrid predicament or another. One child had been stuck hanging out of the window of a tower. The sight of seeing a third year girl nearly falling to her death _had_ to have knocked a few years off Hermione's life, for sure!

It had been a nerve wrecking year so far. She had thought about quitting numerous of times but decided to at least finish the school year first. Rules had been made against daring students to perform such stupid actions, but that wasn't going to stop any of them.

Hermione called out the boy's name again, her wand held out firmly. It was lit up brightly so that she could see in the moonless, pitch black night.

One of the students who had seen Nelson enter the woods said that he had done it only just an hour ago. Hermione couldn't see how he could have gotten too far in, the large roots of the trees were enough to hinder her own steps.

 _An hour is just enough to get lost though._

' _Shut up!_ ' she snapped at her pessimistic mind. She couldn't think the worst, it would cause her to panic.

And right now was definitely not a time to panic.

"Nelson?" She paused her steps and slowed her breathing. Hermione swore she had hear a twig snap. She listened for a while, hearing nothing but the faint whisper of the icy breeze.

Hermione shivered from the cold and puffed into her gloved hands. It was entirely to cold to be outside. She just _had_ to find Nelson.

There was a scream then. Followed by a series of thrashing. Hermione ran toward the sounds, hollering out for the boy.

He wailed. She knew it was him. She ran faster and harder, truly afraid what she was going to find of him. He sounded in incredible pain. He continued to scream. Loud. Long. Agonizing.

"HELP! PLEASE! SOMEONE! NO—!"

His cry was cut off just as Hermione saw a large shadow of something several feet off in front of her. Whatever it was whirled around at her light and faced her. It growled.

With a quick thought, Hermione cast a stunning spelling, hitting the creature at the center of its body. It instantly flew back, revealing another shadow at the ground. Hermione hurried over to it and learned that it was Nelson.

The dark-headed boy was covered in his own blood, and he whimpered in pain. "He-He…!"

"Get up!" Hermione demanded, pulling the boy up to his feet. He could stand, thankfully. He seemed just a little shaken.

She helped him through the forest, but just as they got to the edge, she felt something sharp dig into her shoulder, and she was jerked backward, landing square onto her back. Pain jolted throughout her body.

"Professor!" Nelson gasped.

"Run!" Hermione screamed, realizing that it had been the beast that had attacked her. She tackled the beast to stop him from going after Nelson. "Keep running!" she screamed after him when the boy had stopped to see what was going on.

She heard an ugly growl, and the beast spun around in anger, planting its back foot right into the side of her head.

Her hearing was the first to go. There was a faint ringing in her ears. Then it was her sight; everything around her went blurry, and she struggled with keeping her eyes open until she could no longer.

*\\*

"You always did have a temper."

Draco rolled his eyes. "And as usual, everything is always my fault!"

Narcissa looked up from the young woman to give her son a pointed look. "This is very much your fault."

"I can't help it that I've been bloody _cursed_!"

"You did not need to hurt the woman."

" _She_ attacked _me_ first!"

"And we both know why she did. Arguing with me is rather pointless. You still did a beastly thing."

He crossed his arms in frustrated defeat. His mother had used 'beastly' purposely to annoy him. "Will she be alright?" he asked quietly. He had regretted what he had done to her immediately after doing it, but he could not help the actions that he had done to her. It was in his cursed blood to first react before thinking while he was feeding.

It was the beast part of him.

Just like it was to feed on children who did not heed to the warnings to stay out of the Forbidden Forest.

His stomach churned at the thought. He grimly set a palm up to his forehead finding it to be drenched with sweat.

"I believe so," his mother answered him after a few moments. "At least until she wakes."

Draco stared at his mother's black eyes for a few seconds before he fully realized what she had met.

He set his jaw sullenly. _Well, isn't this just lovely._

"Set her up a room," he grumbled and made to leave his mother to deal with the woman. He needed a few gulps of fresh air.

*/*

Hermione woke up dreadfully confused, barely remembering anything from the night before. All she could remember was screaming and the fearful look on Nelson's face.

She sat up in an oversized bed (it was enough to sleep the entire Weasley family!) and looked around, creasing her eyebrows together. She couldn't remember how she got into this elaborately decorated room, but it was gorgeous just the same. Rose pink and tan scheme with a vanity and a table and chair set. It also had a floral love seat with a matching chair. A pair of french doors led out to a balcony that overlooked a lake.

It was too fancy for Hogwarts, and too cheery for St. Mungo's. It didn't belong to anyone she knew either.

Hermione slid out of bed to see if she could find a person to talk to. She felt down her side, noticing an unusual feeling against her skin. A pink night dress hugged her body from her shoulders all the way down to her toes.

Satin. Expensive satin. _Comfortable_ satin. She had never wore something so lovely before, not one to splurge on such fabrics.

Had she checked into a hotel?

That idea didn't seem right, and surely she couldn't afford to rent a room as extravagant as the one she stood in.

Hermione made her way to one of the many doors that the room had. The first one was an amazing bathroom that had automatic water flow and toilet flushing, a soaking tub equipped with every bathing supply known to man and enough towels to cover for an entire Hogwarts house.

The next door over concealed the biggest walk-in closet that Hermione had ever seen— not that she had seen many in her life— and it was stocked with shoes, jewelry, dresses, suits, blouses, skirts— everything! And she was sure that every piece cost a pretty sickle!

The second to the last door lead to another room that was the exact duplicate of the room she woke up in.

The fourth and last door lead out into a corridor that seemed to go on forever. There must have been over two hundred feet of corridor! She walked down it until she came to a staircase.

"Hello?" Her voice traveled out in an echo.

There was a crack right then, the indication that a house elf had apparated near. "Madam," an elf with a blue and black bow tie greeted and bowed. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor."

"Well, thank you. Now I request that you do not bow to me from here on out."

The elf gave her a tilt of his head in obvious confusion by her request. This was not new to her. She'd rather not use the elves' slave status for any sort of gain. Even if that meant in a simple greeting. Not that many elves respected her wishes, but at least she tried to give them the option decide on their own.

"Does the Madam wish to dine for breakfast?"

"Is it part of the…" she paused, looking around. It did look like an expensive bed and breakfast. "Package?"

The elf sent her another one of those looks. "Querty apologizes, but he does not understand what you mean, Madam."

"How much will the breakfast cost? Is it free with the room?" She patted her nightdress, just now remembering that she was not in normal attire. "I'm afraid I'm not dressed for breakfast. Would you happen to know where my clothing is?"

"In the closet of your room, Madam."

"But those are not mine."

Querty nodded. "They are so, Madam. You be picking out anything you wish. You call me when you finish, and Querty will escort you to dine." He disaperated with a pop, and Hermione made her way back to the room she had woken up in. She had left the door open, but Hermione probably wouldn't have found it if she hadn't— all the doors were identical.

She looked all around for her plain, ordinary Muggle clothing, but they were nowhere to be found. Her eyes shifted to a purple and blue body-length dress.

The elf _did_ say to pick out anything she wished. Her own clothing could be in the wash, and she would need something decent to wear for breakfast.

What the hell. Why not? She snatched the dress off the rack and checked to see if it would fit. She could always resize it with her wand—

Her wand! Hermione's eyes widened, and her pulse picked up at the thought. She sprinted out of the closet, hastily looking for her most valuable item, but it was nowhere to be found!

 _Oh, no! No, no, no! Where is my wand?!_

Her hand flew up in her distress and touched her temple. She immediately dropped it, shocked by the pain the simple touch had brought.

" _What_ happened last night?" she whispered to herself.

"Madam?" Querty's squeaky voice called out for her, following with a knock. "Does the Madam has something picked out yet?"

Knowing that elves were commonly punished for the things that could not be helped, Hermione answered with a "Yes!", and she began dressing as quickly as she could, telling him that she would be right out.

Hermione smoothed out all the wrinkles that occurred during her rush and found a pair of blue shoes that matched the dress. With a deep breath, she made her exit to join Querty who had been patiently waiting for her to finish.

"Querty thinks you look beautiful," he commented.

Hermione smiled. "Thank you, Querty, that is very kind of you to say." She ran her hand through her hair. "Oh, dear! I forgot to do my hair!"

"Do not worry, Madam, I can help you with that!" With a snap of his fingers, Hermione felt her hair lift up from her back and pile up onto the top of her head. Querty presented her a mirror to see how he did.

"Oh!" she gasped out in delight. Her hair had been twisted into a bun all except for a few loose curls that draped down her cheeks. "It's amazing!" she whispered. Hermione had never been able to dress her hair up, she usually got frustrated with it and always ended up just brushing it out and tying it at the back of her head— conventional and practical. She never thought that her hair could be so pretty until this moment.

Querty bowed low, pride apparent on his face. "You are welcome." He then straightened back up with a snap. "We must get down to breakfast now."

"Oh, right." She followed him through a maze of corridors and stair cases before he finally stopped at the doorway of a massive-sized dining room.

"Take any seat that you desire— except for the one on this end." Querty spoke about the incredibly long and rectangular table that was already set and loaded with all sorts of breakfast food.

"Thank you," she said and began walking. She decided that she was going to sit near a woman who was already seated.

The woman rose to her feet when Querty announced Hermione's presence. "Good morning," she spoke softly. "I trust you had a fair sleep?"

"I most certainly did—"

 _At least I think I did…_

Hermione didn't say that she couldn't remember much of anything from the night before.

"—thank you."

"And how is your head?" The woman had silvery blonde hair, and she was dressed in black from head to toe, her skin, paler than any tone Hermione had ever seen. She looked genuinely worried though, and lifted her hand up as if she was going to touch Hermione's head, but lowered it down quickly, changing her mind. "You came here quite injured."

Hermione refrained from touching the sore, knowing it would hurt if she did. "As long as I don't touch it, I barely notice a thing."

The woman nodded. "Do sit down before the meal gets cold." She gestured to the chair that Hermione stood behind. "I apologize, we have not been properly introduced— when my son brought you here, we were both concerned that you wouldn't make it through the night."

"What happened anyway— and thank you for your help!" Hermione slightly looked down at her empty plate, feeling a little rude. She was dying to learn what had happened though.

The woman chuckled, not in the least bit offended, relieving Hermione of her guilt. "You were attacked by a horrendous beast last night. It's a good thing my son brought you here."

"Did Nelson return safely? The boy, do you know? I think the beast was after him. Or at least, I remember seeing Nelson's face and him screaming for help."

"My son did not mention an injured boy. It is highly likely that the boy escaped."

Hermione heaved out a sigh, and began serving herself up a meal, following the suit of her host.

"I'm Narcissa, the Lady of the Manor."

"I'm Hermione Granger. I do appreciate your hospitality ."

"Not at all. It's just a shame Draco is not here to also meet you— he's not feeling well today."

"I do hope he's okay, I would like to personally thank him for saving me."

"Well, I'm sure that you'll have plenty of chances to do that. For now, eat up, you will need the energy for a complete recovery."

As Hermione ate through the meal. Narcissa watched her extremely close, and it worried Hermione a little. It felt uncomfortable, and she wondered what she was doing wrong.

Maybe it was the expensive dress. Maybe Narcissa was worried about her spilling food on it. Hermione concentrated on each spoonful, ensuring that every morsel of food went only to her mouth.

When the meal was through, Hermione asked where her own clothes were so that she could change into them.

"They were not in your room?"

Hermione shook her head. "I could not find them."

Narcissa immediately called out for an elf and ordered it to find Hermione's clothing.

"I do not mean to be a bother," Hermione said regrettably.

"It's absolutely no bother, dear," Narcissa assured her kindly. "Now how about I show you around?"

"Oh, I really can't stay for much longer. I'm the Potions Master at Hogwarts, and I should get back."

"Don't the children leave for holiday today?"

Hermione thought on it, and she looked at her watch. Narcissa was right. They had left on the Hogwarts Express almost two hours ago.

"You can stay here for the holiday, we won't mind."

Here would certainly be better than Hogwarts. Hogwarts was awfully dull when it was nearly empty. "I shouldn't impose…"

" _Impose_!" Narcissa shrieked. "Never! Come, come!" She motioned for Hermione to get up. "I'll owl the Headmistress that you plan on spending the holiday here— she won't mind!"

"You know McGonagall?"

"Oh, _sure_. We go _way_ back!"

*/*

" _Minerva, you are going to need to find a replacement for Hermione Granger. She is stuck here until further notice, but do not worry! I will take great care of her!_

— _Narcissa_

 _P.S: I think my son really likes her— he just doesn't know it yet!"_

"Is something wrong, Minerva?" Neville Longbottom asked.

The witch nodded, her face ghostly white. The letter from Narcissa Malfoy vibrated in her hand from the movement. "We're going to need a new Potions professor."

Neville took a large step toward her. "Is Hermione alri—"

"She is to be replaced," was all the woman said. She took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes with the tips of her fingers.

The Headmistress clamped her jaw tightly. Her stomach was sour from the news. If she knew it would do any good, she would try to rescue the woman who used to be her favourite pupil, but the attempt would be useless.

And _fatal_ for all involved.

If anyone could manage such a sentence, it would be Hermione Granger.


	2. The Knight in Shining Armour

"Why are there not any holiday decorations?" In a place so fancy, Hermione would have thought there would have been something to mark _some_ sort of traditional celebration.

"Draco hasn't celebrated Christmas in years," Narcissa informed with a hint of sadness in her voice. "He gets upset by the sight of anything decorative, so I do not have the elves decorate for the holiday."

"Oh." Well that was mildly depressing news. "Why is he so sensitive to the holiday?"

"Something happened a few years back." And that was all Narcissa said about it.

"But I have a room!" she added in an excited whisper. The woman linked her hand together with Hermione's and pulled her with her. The Manor had to be at least the size of Hogwarts, so it was a while before Narcissa stopped at her destination.

She looked over her shoulder, almost looking like she was about to do a horrible thing, and unlocked a door with her wand. Narcissa quickly hustled Hermione inside and slammed the door closed, breathing heavily.

"He mustn't know!" she said through a chuckle. Colour shaded the woman's face, and Hermione turned to see the cause. Her jaw dropped.

Narcissa had turned the entire room into one giant Christmas festival. Fairy lights by the _thousands_ twinkled, a Christmas train resembling the Hogwarts Express weaved through a village where the buildings were four feet tall. Decorative snow was coated all over, and tiny little flakes of it littered the floor. Christmas trees were heavily trimmed with baulbs, icicles and assorted ornaments (edible ones, cheap ones, expensive ones, homemade and magical ones!).

There was so much to look at, that Hermione was sure she wouldn't see everything all at once.

"Snowmen!" she gasped, hurrying over to the cute family of five. They were part of the village, standing outside a cottage, all posed, waving.

"Draco's favourite used to be the snowmen too," Narcissa said softly. "Go on, touch one."

"Oh!" Hermione jerked her hand back from the mother snowman. It was cold!

Narcissa laughed. "It took me months to make them. They are all made from real snow!"

"Brilliant!" Hermione breathed out. "You'll have to teach me that!"

"Of course! But there will be plenty of time for that all later. Come on, let me show you around more— I know! I will introduce you to my peacocks!"

*/*

"Eventually, you'll have to come out of the shadows and meet her."

Draco stared out of the window, watching the woman walk through their enchanted garden. It was 2 degrees outside and snowy, yet the garden was in full bloom as if it were late spring. The enchantment seemed to amaze the woman. This puzzled Draco. She was a witch afterall, she should be used to such spells.

"She certainly likes it here," his mother noted cheerfully.

Of course Mother would be happy with all this! She had been trying to get him to date a woman and find the one that would break his bloody curse. But a curse was a curse, and finding one's soulmate was exceedingly impossible.

That mess of hogwash only existed in fairy tales. And that was why Riddle used it as a way to break his curse. Riddle knew it was impossible too.

Draco scoffed and turned away from the window. "Don't get any ideas, Mother. I doubt she's even single!"

Narcissa beamed. "Oh, but she is! I asked her already!"

Draco shook his head. His mother didn't waste any time at all. "That woman isn't going to fall for me— and I'm not too interested in marrying someone that I have to keep as a prisoner. Why do you think Riddle cursed me so? _Real_ women don't tend to fall in love with their captors."

"She doesn't have to know she's a prisoner. I haven't told her—"

"She must know eventually. She's not going to want to stay here forever."

Narcissa frowned at that statement, but then she waved her hand, brushing it off. "I suppose we can deal with it if we come across that bridge later."

Draco sighed. "I have no idea what to do…" He turned around to look out the window again just in time to see the woman sniff a rose. "If she leaves here, I'll forever be like this, and it won't just be a seasonal thing, and it won't only be limited to the forest. I'll be a monster for the rest of my life, killing— _searching_ for young children to eat until I die."

"You have a wonderful charm, Draco, she could fall in love with you before she even finds out about the curse."

He shook his head doubtfully. "Love doesn't work like that, Mother. And remember, it is not just she who has to love me, I must also love her…"

And he didn't have the heart to tell her, but Draco didn't believe in love. Not _that_ kind of love anyway.

*/*

"Madam? Or is it Miss?"

Hermione looked up from the book that she had been scanning through. A tall, pale headed blond man was approaching her, and when he reached her, he gave her a slight bow. Hermione set the book back onto the shelf where it belonged. She had been engrossed in the library since Narcissa gave her free range of it— it was bigger than any public library she had ever visited.

"You're fine to call me Hermione."

"I'm the Draco Malfoy you've been requesting to meet."

"So you're my savior," Hermione commented with a smile. "I'm pleased to finally meet you, and of course, thank you for saving my life."

The man's lips thinned as if he wasn't very impressed with what she had said, but he quickly loosened up and gave her a smile of his own. "You gave me a fright, you did, but I'm relieved to see that you have survived the attack."

"About that attack, did you happen to see my wand perhaps?"

"Your wand…?" He frowned, and with a wave of his hand, something appeared into it. "I had hoped this wasn't yours…"

Hermione let out a squeak. Her wand was shattered into pieces. It barely looked good enough to use it as fire starter. Her lip trembled in devastation.

"I deeply apologize," Draco whispered. "A person's wand is incredibly hard to replace."

Hermione took the remainder of her wand and cradled it into her hands. "Yes," she said with difficulty, "Yes, it is."

"If you would like, you can borrow one of mine until you can make a new purchase. The wand crafter in Hogsmeade is on holiday at the moment, but she makes the best wands these days."

"Oh, that is very kind of you! I would appreciate that a lot!"

Draco conjured up a pouch, and he set it onto a nearby table, unrolling it, revealing over a dozen assorted wands. "You may take your pick from these."

"Wow, you own them all?"

"And several more. You can't have too many wands. Most of these are older than the two of us combined in age."

Hermione's eyes widened. "They're antiques! I can't use these…"

"Nonsense, I doubt any beast is going to attack you here. There's nothing that can occur here that will break a wand. It's usually rather dull at Malfoy Manor."

Draco took a wand out of the pouch and eyed it over. "This is probably the closest thing to your wand that you will get. It's a little shorter and a bit more flimsy, but the core and wood are the same."

"Flimsy wands are perfect for temporary use."

Draco nodded. "Indeed they are. You have studied wand lore?"

"A little. I'm a big reader."

Another nod. Hermione could tell this man didn't talk much. He looked around the room. "You'll definitely have plenty to read here."

"I just don't know where to start."

"Curses."

"Excuse me?"

Draco brought his eyes back to hers. "You should start with curses— I have shelves and shelves of books on them." He tilted his head, and his eyes slightly went out of focus. "Though, a few of them are a bit on the fictional side, but there's nothing wrong with fictional characters suffering, is there? They aren't real afterall."

Hermione's eyebrows raised. It was her turn to nod, only hers was slow and forced. "I read fiction all the time."

"Happily-ever-afters, huh? And I bet you believe in true love."

"Is that supposed be a bad thing?"

He shrugged. "Seems pointless to dwell on fantasies."

"Dwell…?" _What an odd choice of a word..._

He sent her a smile. Hermione knew it was fake. "It was lovely to meet you, but I have some work to do. Feel free to call on Querty if you should want anything."

"Thank you," she said politely, making a quick decision of not starting an argument with him about her refusal in using house elf labour.

He left the wand that he had picked out for her on the table and rolled up the rest, then he apparated without saying anything more.

Draco Malfoy was a bit on the strange side, Hermione concluded. And while he was quite cordial, his mother was a bit more friendly than him. He was too stiff for her taste.

Even if he was extremely handsome.

* * *

 _ **AN: Thanks for reading my story, some questions I cannot answer until the final chapter is live (which you'll be happy to know that I finished this morning!), but I will be sure to answer as many as I can (ones that the story will not cover) on the last chapter, so ask away!**_

 _ **Until next time, lovely readers!**_


	3. The Confession

"Master will not be happy when he sees this," Querty announced a couple days later, wearily looking around the room that Hermione was staying in.

"He won't come up here," Hermione assured him, stringing up a strand of fresh, shiny cranberries over the entrance of the main door.

"But he wills go nuts!"

"And if he does, I'll will remind him that Narcissa said that this is _my_ room for the duration of the time that I stay here. And she has permitted me to make myself at home."

"You are going against his wishes!" the elf frantically whispered. He smacked his hands up against his cheeks, trembling.

"I will make it clear that you were kind enough to warn me, but it's just not Christmas without decorations. You wait and see, Querty, he'll understand."

"Querty doubts it, Madam."

It was that night after dinner that Hermione heard a knock on the door to her suite. She got up from the table where she had been filling out Christmas themed postcards to a few people she knew and went to open the door.

Draco stood in the doorway. His silver eyes flew around the room, taking in her festive decorations.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked innocently, bracing herself for his reaction. He must be pretty firm on his view if even his mother hid her Christmas decorations from him.

"I hate it," he announced flatly. Hermione thought Draco was being rather calm about it, giving what she had been told about his feelings against the holiday.

"What is it that you hate about it?"

" _Everything_."

He stepped inside, and his face scrunched up in disgust. "What is that horrible noise?"

Hermione laughed. "It's Christmas music." She walked over to a snow globe and picked it up showing him the wind up mechanism it had.

"Where did you get all this rubbish?"

Hermione set down the snow globe and placed her hands to her hips. "None of this is _rubbish_."

" _Where_ did you get it?" he asked with a growl.

"Well," she slowly spun around, looking at all the things she had positioned around the room to give it a holiday cheer. "I handmade the garland, and with a little magic, I enchanted the baulbs to light up and sparkle like glitter, and then I transfigured a few things into snowglobes and other trinkets."

"Get rid of it— all of it!"

"What?" His sudden anger confused her.

"You heard me. And don't act like you didn't know how I feel about Christmas!"

"But this is my room, your mother—"

"I do not _care_ what my mother said. _Take it down_."

"Well, aren't you a bit of a _Grinch._ "

"Bah, Humbug!" he snarled, scoffing at a stocking that Hermione had stuffed with things to look like Father Christmas had filled it. "I want it all gone by the morning."

"Yes, _sir_ ," she grumbled, snatching a gift box off a shelf. He sent her a dirty look, showing her that he wasn't amused by her snarky reply.

*\\*

"I know you hate Christmas—"

Draco slammed his teacup down in annoyance. It clanked against the saucer he held. "Mother, I'm not talking about this!"

"—but if she's going to be stuck here for a while—"

" _Forever_ ," he emphasized moodily.

"—maybe she should be made to feel welcome—"

"We have made her feel welcome! _Too_ welcome, if you ask me!"

Narcissa sighed. "This is her home now, Draco, you should really consider her feelings."

"She doesn't even know what's really happening! She's fine, so she skips the Christmas holiday this year, big deal!"

"What about next Christmas? After she fully realizes what is going on? It is not her fault that she is your prisoner now. She will not understand, dear."

"It's not _my_ fault either!" Draco shouted, standing up. "And for once, I would appreciate it if you took _my_ feelings into consideration!"

Narcissa sipped at her tea delicately before she set it carefully onto her plate. With a stern look, she said, "I have been forbidden to celebrate anything for the last ten years because you've become so cold— and I'm not blaming you for this, but I've been quite considerate about your feelings, and now you need to change. That woman up there is the _only_ one who has the ability to save you. You are going to have to change _for_ her." She then raised her eyebrows pointedly. "Unless you like the occasionally holiday transformation? Those claws of yours are awfully sharp— all the more to shred people apart with, hmm?"

Draco dramatically closed his eyes briefly. He hated when his mother was right. "Sometimes I really despise your logic."

"I know!" she said triumphantly. "But you still love me just the same!"

*\\*

"What's this?"

"A plant," Hermione answered Draco simply. He had come up to her room the very next day to see if she had taken everything down.

"It's a _festive_ plant."

"I wouldn't think you would have known what mistletoe is, Mr. _Scrooge_."

The man rolled his eyes at her. "Of course I know what _mistletoe_ is, I'm not an _alien_."

"No, you're just a grumpy man who doesn't celebrate Christmas and expects everyone to have the same opinion about it as you do." Hermione flipped through the pages of the book she had brought from the library to read.

"I'm not _grumpy_ — what are you reading?"

"You are _incredibly_ grumpy— Curses and Sacrifices, as if you'd care."

"You chose _that_ book?"

Hermione sighed and looked up. "You told me to start with curses, so I did."

"But _that_ one?" He was in utter disbelief. "You chose _that_ one to read _first_?"

"Well, no, I've read fifteen others before starting this one."

" _Fifteen_?!"

"Why does the number of books I read concern you so?"

Draco shrugged. "I've never met anyone who could read so fast— what chapter are you on?"

"Six," she answered without having to look.

He gave a nod and brought his hands together in front of him. His eyes dropped down to the book. "What did you think about chapter four?"

"The one about the Hanstrapp?"

Another nod. He was looking at her intently; studying her.

"It's a particularly horrid curse, but isn't that typical for curses?"

"I think it's one of the worst ones."

"I suppose, given the fact that it takes a selfish parent to make a deal with the Grim, sacrificing their only child in order to avoid death. What parent would do that?"

"A bucket load, it seems." Draco voice had fallen, and his eyes dropped to the flooring. He cleared his throat, keeping his eyes lowered. "If you want to decorate for Christmas, you can."

"Really?!" She was shocked at how suddenly he had changed his mind.

"Mother is in the kitchen now, baking all sorts of sweets." The corner of his mouth stretched out, and Hermione could tell he was struggling not to smile. "It's been years since she's baked anything. The bottom level smells ridiculously nice."

Hermione grinned, pleased to hear that. "Thank you, Draco!" She was so happy, that she almost ran over and hugged him.

 _Almost_.

Instead she told him that she was going down to see if she could help Narcissa with the baking.

*/*

It didn't take long before all of the Manor was twinkling with lights and glitter in Christmas decorations. The only places that weren't decorated were Draco's own suite and a few other rooms that he demanded to be left alone. The witches thought that was more than fair.

Soon after, Draco noticed that the tree in the main foyer was starting to collect wrapped gifts. Upon a quick look, he had realized that his mother and 'guest' were planning on giving actual gifts.

Draco hadn't given anyone a gift in years. He didn't accept any either, but he knew his mother would start nagging about it come shortly. He decided to beat her to it though, and he sent out Querty to buy some gifts for the women.

"Get Miss Granger a book. A fairy tale— one with a happy ending." _She should like that,_ he thought to himself.

"And Mother… I'm sure she'd like a new apron, now that she's baking again. Get her something merry and in relation to the holiday."

Querty bounced with excitement. "Yes, Master! Querty will do that!"

Draco had an unexpected visitor that night. One that he hadn't seen in years, one that he wished had stayed away. One that haunted him every night.

Tall and dark headed, Riddle appeared directly at the end of Draco's bed, sneering at the stocking that Draco had secretly hung at the footboard.

"Getting just a bit too cheery, aren't you, Draco?"

Draco shivered, fearful of the monster before him. He looked human, but the man knew he was far from it. "What do you want?! Why are you here?!"

"You cannot say that you do not know why I've stopped by."

"It's because of Hermione, isn't it?" Draco remained in his bed, his quilt tightly wrapped around him. There was nothing he could do to defend himself against the grim, and like last time Riddle had approached him, Draco awaited for his fate.

Riddle curled up his perfect, handsome lip in disgust. "She's changing you. I don't like that!" He ripped the stocking off of its hook, and it shriveled up in his hand, blackening, turning into dust and then disintegrating into nothing. "Are you thinking she could break my curse on you?"

Draco shook his head wildly, scared to answer any other way. "Mother likes her, a-and we just wanted to make her feel wel-welcome."

"A _prisoner_ is not supposed to feel _welcome_ , Draco." Riddle looked toward the door of Draco's room. A smirk appeared on his face. "Perhaps I shall show you what it's like to have a prisoner?"

"You leave her alone!" Draco spat out, surprising himself. He ducked down low when Riddle looked back at him to study him over.

Riddle chuckled. "So you may actually feel something for the damsel, but I doubt she'll reciprocate your feelings. Especially once she knows what you've been hiding about yourself. She surely will not love a monster who feasts on little _children_."

"Just go away! You've ruined my life already, isn't that enough?!"

"All in due time, Draco. You can't keep it a secret forever, and when she runs away…" The monster's lips formed into an evil grin. "I eagerly wait to watch your horrendous transformation."

Draco closed his eyes, trying to forget the green glow of Riddle's terrifying eyes. When he opened them back up, Riddle was gone.

"You feeling okay, dear?" Narcissa asked the next morning.

Draco yawned and pushed away his unfinished bowl of porridge. "I didn't sleep well."

"Thinking too much on what we got you for gifts, huh?" Hermione asked with a grin.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm not a child. It's no big deal to me." If Riddle hadn't come though, Draco was sure he may have gotten a little a excited to know what the women had gotten him. But he had other things on his mind now.

How long could his curse be kept from Hermione? She would have to find out soon, the holiday was going to be over in just a few short days. She had already been talked out of leaving the Manor a couple of times, but Narcissa would only be able to hold her off for so long.

Eventually the woman would have to be told.

*/*

Hermione snuggled into a winter jacket, humming a Christmas tune. They were out of sugar, and she wanted to surprise Narcissa by making her favourite holiday biscuit. They hadn't had time for it yet, too busy making all of Draco's favourites in hopes that it would help him find the holiday spirit.

Their plan seemed to be working. They were surprised to learn from Querty that he had sent the elf out to go gift shopping for them. This had made Narcissa squeal like a little child.

"It's been so long since we've had a good Christmas!"

Hermione didn't fail to notice that there wasn't a Mr. Malfoy around. She had asked about him once in curiosity, but Narcissa pretended to have not heard her and quickly excused herself from the room. Hermione couldn't help thinking that Draco's Scooginess possibly had something to do with the missing Mr. Malfoy. It wasn't any of her business though, so she just shrugged it off.

"You're up early."

Having not expected anyone to be up yet, Hermione jumped at the sound of Draco's voice.

"You gave me a fright!" she gasped, clutching her jacket to her chest.

"My apologies," he said without any hint of remorse. "Where are you going?"

"I was going to get some sugar."

"Querty can do that."

"Yes, I know, but I would like to do it this time. I need some fresh air."

"Is my garden not good enough for that?"

Hermione tilted her head in suspicion. "I'm beginning to think that you don't want me to leave here."

Draco gave her a genuine smile. "Well, we do like your company."

"We?" Hermione asked for clarification. She knew Narcissa didn't mind her presence without a doubt, but Draco was a little different than his mother. He liked his privacy. He was a loner.

"Yes, _we_. I have grown to like having you around."

Hermione laughed. "I'm just going out for a few minutes, I won't be gone long."

Before she could grab a handful of floo powder, she felt a hand wrap around her upper arm, and Hermione was pulled away from the floo.

"What's wrong?!" she demanded.

"You can't go," Draco firmly told her.

"And why can I not?" She slipped out of his grip and looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

Draco sighed. He raked a hand through his hair. His other one trembled by his side.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, concerned about him. He appeared to be a little bit on the edgy side.

"I need to tell you something," he said very slowly with a shaky voice.

"Of course!" Hermione encouraged him to begin. "Tell me what's bothering you!" She lead him to a chair where he could sit.

Draco rubbed his hands against his knees, and he took a few breaths of air before he spoke. "I can't let you go anywhere."

"Why not? The weather is fine. There's no blizzard or anything."

"It's because…" He looked down at his hands where his fingers were picking at his nails. "If you leave the Manor, I'll…"

Hermione stepped closer to him, setting a hand onto his shoulder. His entire body was vibrating. "Go on, Draco. You'll what?"

His head snapped up so that their eyes could meet, and she saw fear in his wide eyes. Absolute fear.

"Please stay!" he whispered frantically. "Don't make me turn even more beastly than I already am!" Draco snatched her hands into his, squeezing them harshly.

Hermione tugged against him, but his grip was too tight. "Let go!" she cried. "That hurts!" He released her instantly, causing her to fly backwards.

"I didn't mean to hurt you!" Draco said truthfully, leaning over the chair and eyeing her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she answered slowly, wiggling her fingers to administer circulation back into them. "What do you mean by 'more beastly' than you already are? I don't think you're beastly at all."

"I'm a Hanstrapp, Hermione!"

Hermione took a step back from him. Her eyebrows furrowed. "That's not something to joke about, Draco!" she scolded him furiously.

"It's not a joke! I'm the beast! I— It was me who attacked that little boy!"

Hermione shook her head in denial. "No, it couldn't have been, you saved me from the beast."

"That was me, I was the beast that attacked you! I nearly killed you— and I have-I have killed so many!" He was crying now, and all Hermione could do was stare at him. Her mind said to get out of there, to run fast and far away, but her body didn't move a muscle.

It took Hermione a few moments for everything to finally register, and she believed him. It made sense. Everything this last week now all made sense.

"No!" he shouted at her when she made a dash for the floo powder. He tackled her to the ground, and she screamed.

"Get off me!"

"You can't leave!"

"You can't keep me here forever!" Hermione kicked him off her and scrambled up to her feet.

"Stop, Hermione, please! Stop, or I'll have to use my wand!"

He was pointing it at her, his breathing, hard and laboured. "Please stay," he said more calmly. "We can talk about this."

"You… You've been lying to me this whole time!" she snapped out in anger. "And you—!" Hermione's voice cut out sharply. She couldn't believe that she had been staying under the same roof as a child murder! "I _can't_ stay here!"

Draco shook his head in distraught. "We have to talk about this!" But Hermione ignored his pleas, she reached up for the bowl of floo powder and dug into it, pulling out a handful. Before she could throw it into the fire, something hit her square in the back, and there was a jolt throughout her body. She no longer could control herself, frozen by a spell.

Draco caught her as she fell backward. "I'm sorry!" he squeaked out. "I really didn't want to do this, but you made me, Hermione! You made me! You just can't leave! You can't!"

Hermione tried shouting. She tried screaming. She tried everything to break out of his spell's hold on her, but it wouldn't break.

The next thing she saw was the end of his wand pointing right at her nose, and he mumbled the incantation to the sleeping spell.


	4. Hitting the Books

"You could have waited until after _Christmas_! And I thought this one was going to be the best we've had!" Narcissa was ready to cry.

"Please don't do this, Mother! In just a few minutes, Hermione is going to wake! She'll be a mess!"

Narcissa heaved a sigh. "If you want, I can go in with you."

"No," Draco said confidently. "She'll understand after I explain everything. I know she will! Well, after her anger subsides. Maybe…"

Narcissa was doubtful, but she gave her son's shoulder a squeeze. "Good luck, dear."

Draco didn't open Hermione's door for a while. He stood outside of her room, pacing back and forth, wondering how he was going to explain this all to her. She'd understand, she would. She just _had_ to!

Because if she didn't, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He didn't want to imprison her, but he certainly didn't want his curse to worsen!

With a deep, quivering breath, he unlocked the door and slipped in. Dawn was now breaking. Light was minimal, but he could see that Hermione was not on the bed where he had left her.

"Hermione?" Draco had chosen to go in wandless, not risking her getting her hands on it, and now he had wished he had left Hermione tied up, but at the time, he couldn't stand the idea of doing that to her.

There was a soft movement off to his left, and Draco had a sudden feeling that he should protect his head. He turned in time to see Hermione swinging something over her head to hit him with. He yelped out on its impact, more surprised than anything, and snatched the lamp stand that Hermione had attempted to use as a weapon.

They fought over it until Draco won, tossing it aside. "I'm not going to hurt you," he told her calmly. "I would never hurt you."

"No, you just _eat_ little children!" she spat. "I'm not tender enough for you!"

" _Hermione_!" Draco groaned. "I didn't _choose_ to eat children; I'm cursed!"

Hermione shifted her feet uncomfortably as if the thought had just occurred to her. "You still can't keep me here," she said defiantly. "I'll find a way out!"

"If you leave, I'll be cursed like this forever! Riddle made it so that anyone who's invited to the Manor can never leave without making it worse for me!"

Hermione creased her eyebrows in confusion. "Is Riddle the grim that cursed you?" she asked slowly, piecing things together in her head.

"Yes."

"So…" Hermione looked down, not wanting to look him in the eyes. "It was your father then."

Draco's throat clenched up, and it was momentarily hard to swallow. "It was him," he croaked out. A brick hit his stomach, and he felt like he was going to hurl.

" _Why_?" she asked in a whisper of disbelief.

"He sold his soul to Riddle, and he later failed a task. Riddle gave him an ultimatum: him or me. Naturally, my father chose to save his own skin."

"Where is he now?"

Draco shrugged. "I'm sure he knew that if Mother ever saw him again she gut him alive."

"There's a counter to the curse. You know that. Chapter four…" she paused, thinking." _That's_ why you wanted me to read that chapter!" she exclaimed in realization.

Draco nodded. "I must find my soulmate." He then rolled his eyes at the ridiculous thought of having a soulmate.

"And you don't believe in true love," Hermione summarized, repeating what he had once said to her. "What exactly happens if I leave here?"

"I become a monster from nightfall until sunrise. I will seek out children throughout the world—no longer confined to just the Forbidden Forest and the Christmas season— and kill them until I am murdered myself."

"So _you_ killed that little girl last year!"

Draco hung his head down low, remembering that memory all too well. "I could not help it. I cannot stop myself. I have tried."

"They blamed that on a centaur. It is a real shame that children do not listen to warnings…"

"I could not agree more…"

"I'm to stay here until the curse is lifted; until you find true love?"

"Forever, Hermione. You'll stay here until either of us dies."

"Sounds… _constricting_."

"It's supposed to be that way. You're a prisoner."

"But not forever," There was hope in her voice. "You could find true love."

All he did was scoff.

"I guess I have no choice but to stay…" Hermione's eyes went out of focus, thinking about all the things she was about to lose. She didn't have people in her life that she deeply cared about, always had kept to herself, and orphaned at a young age, but she did like her freedom to explore.

"There are worst places to be imprisoned in," she declared, looking around. "And definitely worse capturers."

They shared a smile.

"Now I know why Narcissa insisted that I make myself at home."

Draco snorted. "She did that with all her guests before the curse, but she does adore you. Maybe that's because we haven't had anyone here for years. I'm surprised she even stays here, really."

"She loves you, and she's a terrific mum. You're really lucky to have her."

"Yes," he agreed. "I am."

Christmas Eve finally came, and the women were trying to talk Draco into agreeing with opening their gifts early, but he wouldn't have it.

"I always had to wait when I was a boy, you can too."

Narcissa poked out her lip in an effort to get him to change his mind. He rolled his eyes. "Mother, you're pathetic." Hermione laughed.

"You're no fun, Draco!" Narcissa grumbled, snatching a biscuit from the piled platter that had recently been made. She closed her eyes, savoring the flavour it. "Hermione, these are the best ginger snaps that I've ever had!"

Hermione blushed. "I'm sure it's only because I gifted them to you."

Narcissa shook her head. "That's not it. They have such an excellent bite to them. Most people don't make them so spicy."

"That's because no one wants a seasoned biscuit," Draco said. He didn't care much for ginger snaps. His favourite was oatmeal raisin.

He dunked a biscuit into his glass of milk, swirling it around as he smirked at the glare his mother sent at him. Hermione burst out into laughter when Draco's expression changed. His biscuit had completely dissolved into his milk, having been in the liquid for too long.

"Guess I didn't need that last one anyway," he muttered, looking into the glass and scowling at the chunky mess.

Soon after that, it was time for bed. Hermione left for her room with a smile on her face. She certainly didn't feel trapped at the Manor. Narcissa and Draco were good people who just happened to have been very unlucky. Similar to herself, actually.

She wished there was a way to help Draco though. He didn't deserve this curse— and neither did the innocent children that he couldn't stop himself from murdering. But since he didn't believe in true love, which meant his chances of the curse breaking were relatively slim.

But there had to be another way. He couldn't be stuck as a monster forever. And Hermione didn't want to be confined to Malfoy Manor forever.

Hermione had spent the last week reading about all sorts of curses. She couldn't remember there being exceptions to the 'rules', but maybe she had overlooked something. Maybe there was a loophole. Several spells had loopholes, and many curses that seemed unstoppable could in fact be countered— if you thought a little outside of the box.

She stopped at the library. She wasn't going to be able to sleep with the curse on her mind. Besides, it wasn't too late for a Christmas miracle. She'd keep her fingers crossed.

Hours later, Hermione was squinting her eyes. They had gone blurry and watery. Her body was screaming for sleep, but she refused to give in. She could feel it in her bones. She knew there was a way to break Draco's curse.

She groggily reached for the next book in the stack that she had collected and began scanning it for words such as 'removal' and 'break'. Slowly and carefully, her eyes scanned the words, and every so seconds she'd droop her head, uncontrollably nodding off to sleep, but Hermione would catch herself and smack her cheek to wake up.

The word chicory was the last thing she read before she could no longer manage to stay awake.

There was a loud slam soon after, and Hermione awoke in a confusion, sprinting up from the chair, and it knocked over, hitting her ankle. The room had an unnatural chill, and the lights were all out.

"Draco?" she called out, her teeth chattering from the cold. "Narcissa? Qu-Querty?" Somehow though, she knew it wasn't any of them who was the one that was present.

There was a sudden sharp pain at her neck, and she crumbled to her knees, screaming out in agony.

"Foolish woman," an eerie whisper shivered its way into her ear. "I will not allow you to ruin my plans…"

She was abruptly lifted up by her long, messy hair, and something wrapped around her stomach, crushing into her, making it hard to breathe. She heard the air whistle in her ears, and Hermione realized that whoever had attacked her was also taking her out into the night.


	5. A Very Malfoy Tradition

Hermione gently massaged the sore spot at her head from where Riddle had yanked her at. She glared daggers at the 'man' from inside of the cage that he had thrown her in.

His lair was a one-room cave with a reclining chair and an end table where he propped his feet up onto. It had dirt for floors, and earth for walls. It leaked with moisture from a spot here and there, but it seemed that Riddle had put the cage in a dry spot.

Riddle hadn't given her even a glance since he had put her into the tiny cage (it was only just big enough to sit in). He lounged in his chair, watching a spell-made holographic screen that somehow enabled him to spy on people.

Draco was his #1 target.

Hermione gripped the bars of the cage with her fingers, intensively watching Draco wake abruptly from his sleep and scramble out of bed.

Riddle snickered quietly, deeply enjoying Draco's distress. "She's not there," he sung out in a whisper as Draco knocked on the door of Hermione's suite.

"Your boyfriend should be transforming soon," Riddle spoke out to Hermione cheerfully, speaking to her for the first time since he had attacked her at the Manor. His eyes didn't leave the scene though. His fingertips tapped impatiently against the arm of the chair.

"He's not my boyfriend," Hermione countered. Her attention switched from Riddle to the hologram of Draco. Draco was now scurrying around the Manor, getting his mother and Querty involved in the search of the missing Hermione.

Hermione frowned. They were all upset. Narcissa was in tears, and Draco was hysterical.

"She _promised_!" he squeaked. "She told me she wouldn't leave!"

Riddle laughed deeply. "Poor little Draco! I pity you, I really do!"

"I didn't leave on my own!" Hermione cried out helplessly when Draco frantically repeated what he had said. He truly looked betrayed. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Quiet!" Riddle snarled. "Or I'll sew your lips shut!"

Hermione obeyed. His threats were not empty.

Draco, Narcissa and Querty gathered into the library after Querty had said that she had been there last.

"She would never leave with a mess like this!" Narcissa declared after seeing the tipped-over chair and books scattered about on the floor.

Riddle leaned forward onto the edge of his seat, his eyes fully set on Draco. He was starting to twitch in eagerness.

Narcissa picked up the last book that Hermione had been reading, and Hermione's hope perked up. She remembered now! Chicory was the cure! Draco would have to drink a concoction of chicory root while soaking in a bath of salt, and then all his cursings would fade away!

"Draco…?" Narcissa called for his attention when she finished reading, but just as she looked up, Draco jumped out of the window, with a broom tucked in between his legs.

Riddle hurled out a growl at the screen, and it instantly disappeared.

"Draco didn't change cause I didn't leave on my free will," Hermione said more to herself than anyone, but Riddle's enraged green eyes captured hers, and she was momentarily unable to look away. She felt an incredible amount of pressure in her mind, and she screamed out in pain. Then it was immediately gone, and Hermione collapsed into a heap, curling up into a ball, trembling.

"Figures it'd take a Gryffindor to change a man's ruddy heart."

Hermione opened her eyes just in time to see him getting up from his chair. He walked over to the cage and unlatched it. She made to defend herself, afraid of what he was going to do with her, but he snatched her outstretched arm by the wrist, ignoring her punch to his stomach. Riddle yanked her out of the cage, causing a stray wire to cut into her. Hermione yelped out from its sharp sting.

Now that she had room to fight, she went wild: kicking, punching, screaming, but Riddle wasn't human, and he had a lot of supernatural strength that she didn't possess without a wand.

"I knew you were a crazy one, but this is ridiculous," Riddle said without a raise to his voice. He wasn't even struggling with her attacks. "You're getting nowhere with these swings; physical power is not what you possess, woman."

And he was right. Her power was knowledge. She went still, searching her mind for anything to use against a grim. This amused Riddle, and he chuckled, tangling his fist into her hair.

"I'm certainly going miss your mane of hair, but after Draco is dead, I'll be sure to have a little fun with you before I dispose of you." He propped her up alongside of him, giving her a smirk, stroking her cheek with a finger.

Hermione swallowed down a shudder and remained calm. She attempted to tune him out, not at all interested in hearing any more plans that he intended to do to her.

"Now, the fun shall start," he hissed, gripping her throat, squeezing it into his hand. Hermione struggled to breathe, and her eyes widened when his lips came down to hers. She suddenly felt weak and very tired. His spell was too strong against her.

"Sleep well," he snickered into her ear.

Draco dropped his broom as soon as he had landed. He honestly didn't know where he was, but there was a sense of mind that told him Hermione was near.

He was on a cliff, miles up from the earth. He cautiously walked around, waiting, relying on the same instinct that brought him here in the first place.

It had taken him two hours to fly here, but it was still incredibly dark because of the short days of the season. So Draco was easily able to spot saw a flash of green off in the distance. He flew off after it, connecting the glow to Riddle.

 _'I'm coming Hermione,'_ he thought to himself, wishing that he could send her the message. _'I won't let him hurt you!'_

Draco flew into a lit up cave. "Riddle?!"

"I prefer the name Master, Draco, you know that."

The grim appeared as his actual self— scaly green-grey skin, a bald head, and a sickly face that was missing a nose.

Draco took a step back, swallowing down a hiccup of fear. Riddle saw this, and he chuckled.

"What brings you here, Draco?"

"Don't pretend that you don't know!"

"It's because of the damsel, isn't it. You've come for your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend."

Riddle held up a hand. "Yes, she denies it too, but that doesn't really matter at this point." He outstretched his arm, and something moved off to his right.

"Hermione!"

She didn't even turn her head toward Draco, instead he watched as she walked to Riddle and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him, snuggling her face into his chest.

Draco's stomach churned at the scene, and his blood began to pump heavily with anger.

"Let Hermione go, you-you demented creep!"

"I don't know if I should, Draco." Riddle stroked her hair softly, tauntingly. "She seems to like me. Did she ever hold you this way?"

"You've got her under a curse!"

"Oh, now that's not a nice thing to accuse me of."

"She wouldn't do that on her own! Hermione wouldn't love a creature like you!"

Riddle's thin eyebrows lifted. "And you think she loves _you_?"

"I—" Draco didn't know how to respond. "I don't care," he announced firmly. "I just know that she's not safe _here_!"

"She wasn't safe with you either— you failed to protect her from me. And now..." Riddle ran his disgusting hand down her body. "Now she is mine."

Draco raised his wand as a series of curses ran through his head. Not one of them was going to work on this monster, but he couldn't just stand there while Riddle violated Hermione in such a way!

"Take me instead," he blurted without much of a thought.

"Hmm?" Riddle sung out. He had not stopped his movement, and Hermione moaned out from the daze that Riddle had enchanted her with.

Draco's eyes locked in on Hermione who was slightly squirming under Riddle's touch, and he could tell she was trying to fight him.

"I'll serve you," he whispered, still staring at Hermione. His throat clenched up as he said it. Every cell in his brain was telling him to stop talking, but he didn't. "And I will not fail you like my father did." He looked Riddle dead in the eye, straightening his back, lifting his chin and setting his jaw. "You can do whatever with me, but you must let Hermione go, and you can never touch her again, neither magically nor physically."

Riddle was silent for a while, considering Draco's offer. "I don't know," he hummed out, undecided. "I think your woman will be much more fun to play with, and besides, I already have you."

"But not completely," Draco pointed out. "You don't have my soul."

"You are willing to trade your _soul_ for this... this useless damsel?"

"If she was so useless, you would not have taken her in the wee hours of Christmas morning. You don't waste your time on trivial people. I know that."

Riddle laughed softly. "I have always adored your intellect, Draco." He then released his hold on Hermione, and she fell to the ground. Draco went to approach her, but he was magically stopped.

"We have a bargain, young Malfoy— seems like we've begun a family tradition, haven't we? Don't you just love this time of year?"

Draco's eyes widened in realization, but he didn't get much of a chance to think about it. Riddle wasted no time and shot a spell out of his wand, causing Draco to scream in complete agony.

"Your first task as my servant," Riddle's demand purred its way into Draco's mind, "kill your girlfriend."

Hermione felt lightheaded when she had awoken, and quite dizzy too. There was movement near her, and she could faintly make out sounds.

"We have a bargain, young Malfoy," she heard someone purr out in delight.

She lifted her head to see who it was and about gasped at the ugly monster standing above her. The monster flung out his wand and screaming followed the spell he had cast.

Draco!

"Your first task as my servant, kill your girlfriend."

Hermione scrambled up to her feet. Riddle was concentrating more on inflicting pain to Draco than to even notice her. She watched in horror as Draco balled up at the ground, screaming so long that his voice was growing hoarse. As Riddle continued to focus his spell on him, Draco was slowly changing his form: his legs grew longer and thicker, his head swelled bigger, and fur was streaking out from his skin.

Hermione had to do something to stop Riddle before it was too late! In the dim light, she could see what looked to be a forgotten wand. One that Draco likely had dropped during his attack. She ran to it and snatched it up. With the wingardium leviosa charm, she magically picked up a large rock and chucked it at the glowing stream of light that was aimed at Draco.

There was a loud, horrifying crack when the rock hit the spell, sounding much like a bolt of lightning striking a tree. The rock sailed from the energy that had spewed from Riddle's wand and smashed against the wall.

Draco stopped screaming, no longer in pain. He began to pant, weakened from whatever Riddle had done to him.

"How dare you," Riddle hissed, both in disbelief and anger. He stood, empty-handed. "Where's my wand?!" he demanded hastily when he noticed it was gone.

Hermione's eyes frantically searched for the creature's magical tool.

"Hermione!" Draco croaked out. Something was flying in the air toward her; Draco had thrown Riddle's wand to her. She and Riddle both dove for it, but because Hermione already had Draco's wand, she was able to make it dodge his reach. She caught it and immediately turned Riddle's wand onto him, freezing him in place.

"Are you okay?" she asked, hurrying over to Draco.

He said nothing and climbed to his feet, enveloping her into his arms, breathing heavily. "I was so scared. I was sure he was going to hurt you," he stammered after a few seconds.

"I'm alright," she assured him.

"Oh, Merlin! You're bleeding!"

She looked down at her thigh where she had been cut by the cage. There was so much blood, and she practically fainted at the sight of it. "I'm alright," she repeated, but she leaned into him for support, afraid that her weak knees would give out from under her.

"Thanks for saving me— again." She lightly giggled.

Draco squeezed her tightly to him. "Let's get out of here," he said, eyeing the frozen Riddle. He would be like that for as long as they possessed his wand, and Draco planned to destroy it the first chance that he got.

"What happened?!" Narcissa demanded when she had seen Draco's half-mutation and Hermione's bloody leg.

"Had a bit of a hiccup," Draco said, smiling down at Hermione. "But we're okay."

"But you're so..."

"Hairy?" Draco asked jokingly. He was so happy to be alive that he didn't care what he looked like at the moment.

Hours later, after both he and Hermione had gotten cleaned up, and her wound had been taken care of, they all sat around the Christmas tree and handed out their Christmas gifts.

Narcissa had given Hermione a copy of her favourite cookbook and said that she really enjoyed having Hermione around to bake with.

Hermione gave Narcissa a charmed musical Christmas globe that played to her favourite holiday song.

To Draco, Narcissa had baked him his most favourite Christmas treat, since she and Hermione had eaten quite a bit of his share a few days before. Hermione had gotten him a snowman Christmas stocking stuffed with all sorts of treats and the _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ book. They all shared a laugh at the book, remembering how much of a Grinch Draco really was just a few short days ago.

"Oh, how fitting," Hermione laughed when she opened the book that Draco had gotten for her. " _Beauty and the Beast_."

"Yeah..." Draco eyed Querty over, and the elf's ears wiggled happily.

"I got one more gift, and it's to the both of you!" Narcissa announce cheerfully. "You'll have to open it together!"

"Alright," Draco said slowly, wondering what his mother was up to.

The box she presented was tiny, and Draco about laughed at the thought of her getting them jewelry. He and Hermione held the box each with a hand, using their other to pull at the ribbon that was tied around it.

The lid to the box flopped over on its own, and something leafy and green floated out of the box and above their heads.

Narcissa began giggling uncontrollably, and Hermione blushed, smiling.

"Mistletoe?" Draco asked, confused. "Mother, what—" The touch of Hermione's finger to his lips stopped him from saying anything more.

"You're supposed to kiss me now; it's the rules afterall."

Draco's lips twitched as he anticipated kissing her. He suddenly felt a little hot, and his pulse quickened.

Hermione was poised, ready to receive his kiss, and in one fluid motion, he took her into his arms and pressed his lips ever so softly to hers. A shiver ran throughout his body, but it wasn't a bad one. It was a terrific one. And as Hermione intensified the kiss with just a flick of her tongue, his limbs shrunk down, and the fur on his body shed off from his skin.

He was different now. He was cleansed from all the cursing that the Riddle had done. Draco was no longer a beast, no longer cursed. And it was all because of Hermione Granger.

Hermione Granger; his soulmate.

* * *

 _ **AN: Time for the questions and answers. I'm an author that believes if it's not in my work, a reader can make it however they wish, but some readers are curious about things that just can't always fit in the story (or is not even thought of by the author). So I'll post with what would have happened if I had put your inquires into the story.**_

 _ **Do remember that this was a story set in an Alternate Universe. Anything can happen outside of canon.**_

 _ **1) Q: Did Hermione and Draco both go to Hogwarts?**_

 **A) When I had originally started this, I was going to have Hermione go to a different school, but that didn't happen (both Minerva and Riddle made hints that she had been a student there). If I was going to rewrite this and cover more of Draco's adolescence, I would have had Draco attend Durmstrang for his first two years of Secondary school, and then switch to Hogwarts in his third year. By then, I'm not sure he would have fit in well (the story did not mention that he had any friends prior or present to his curse) which would have made this plot more believable.  
**

 **So, yes, they both went to Hogwarts, but they did not meet there; both sticking quite to themselves, and the school was rather large (without the first Dark war hindering the population such as what happened in canon). There shall be more reasons to this in the answer to the next question, which is:**

 _ **2) Q: Where are Harry and Ron?**_

 **A: This story does not follow canon in several ways, because of this, Voldemort is not the Dark Lord as we know him, so he was not out to kill Harry, and Harry more than likely was raised by his parents and grew up very different than he was in canon. He nor Ron probably didn't ever befriend Hermione (what would be the cause if there was no troll for them to save her from? It was at that moment when they became friends). Hermione was a difficult person to make friends with, especially in a house full of Gryffindors who really wouldn't understand her. She kept to herself when she realised that no one wanted to be friends with her. In canon, I really think the boys helped her socialise, but that's just my perspective on the subject.  
**

 _ **3\. What relationship did Minerva and Narcissa have?**_

 **Student/Teacher. In canon, Draco was pretty good in Transfiguration, and I'd like to think he got that from Narcissa (her Christmas room would require a LOT of knowledge in the skill). In this story, Minerva favoured Narcissa like she does Hermione. And yes, because of their close relationship, she did know about Draco's curse (she couldn't come over to the Malfoys after he was cursed, and Narcissa would have totally invited her for the holidays!). Of course this is all only possible with Voldemort's absence from the story.  
**

 ** _4\. Would Draco have been cursed forever if Hermione had left the Manor?_  
**

 **No. Her (or any guest) leaving the Manor only intensified his curse, but the curse could have still been broken when he had found his true love.**

 _ **5\. Did Riddle attend school at Hogwarts?**_

 **Yes, at one time, he did. He wasn't always a Grim, and was once a human. He chose the path so that he could 'live' forever. Besides, what better job to do for someone who likes torturing people? :D**

 _ **Thanks for reading. Really appreciate you all! Hope you enjoyed the story, and have a VERY Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate)!**_


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